


“Just happy!” (Chapter 74.5)

by DarkAcey



Series: Bonus content from Not My Namesake [6]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Genre: Best Friends, Deleted Scenes, Fluff, Gen, Good Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda), Post-Canon, Sparring, Team as Family, Trans Male Character, Trans Male Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Trans Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Transitioning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27046393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAcey/pseuds/DarkAcey
Summary: Zelda has a surprise for his friends, and he's greeted with a pleasant surprise, too.This ficlet came from my work onNot My Namesake, a long fic about a new generation of heroes 100 years after the fall of Calamity Ganon. I recommend you start with the main story and read up through Chapter 74 if you want to avoid spoilers, but this work can be read on its own too.
Relationships: Ganondorf & Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Ganondorf & Nabooru, Ghirahim & Vaati (Legend of Zelda), Ghirahim & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Bonus content from Not My Namesake [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806355
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	“Just happy!” (Chapter 74.5)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Not My Namesake](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22827259) by [DarkAcey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAcey/pseuds/DarkAcey). 



> In case you're here without having read Not My Namesake (and don't mind spoilers for some reason - really, last chance to go back now), some notes for context:  
> \- This scene takes place directly after Chapter 74 (it was cut from the main work because the denouement was getting too long)  
> \- Zelda is a trans man who was just recently allowed to begin his public transition  
> \- Ganondorf and Nabooru are siblings, and Vaati sort of helped secretly raise them  
> \- Ghirahim's good now, but he started on the bad guy side in the main fic

Zelda was grinning to the tips of his pointed ears as he skipped down the staircase from his room. He raced his reflection across the grand windows lining the hall. The red carpet lining the flagstone floors softened the pattering of his running footsteps. When he came outside, Zelda jogged to a stop at the sounds of steel clanging against steel coming from his and Link’s sparring circle in the courtyard between his bedroom and the guards’ chambers. Curious to see who was fighting, Zelda backtracked through the castle to mount the high wall that overlooked the sparring circle. He snuck into a crenel in the battlements, crouched low, and looked down.

Directly beneath Zelda was Link, Ganondorf, and Nabooru sitting on the ground against the base of the wall. In the sparring circle before them was Ghirahim and Vaati in their Hylian forms, a pairing that surprised Zelda. The demon was twice as tall as the Minish, for one, and two, Zelda had never seen Vaati wield a weapon before.

Vaati ducked into a roll after Ghirahim swung a soldier’s claymore at him one-handed, and the Minish sprung back to his feet to slash at the demon’s ankles. Ghirahim leapt over his broadsword like a jump rope. He brought down his claymore over Vaati’s head, but the Minish stepped aside. His broadsword slapped the inside wrist of Ghirahim’s sword hand. The demon hissed through his teeth as his grip faltered.

Zelda inhaled sharply, riveted by their match. No one told him Vaati knew swordplay, much less that he was skilled enough to actually challenge Ghirahim. The demon managed to keep ahold of his claymore and backtracked away from Vaati’s advance. It was comical how it looked, a small child on even ground with a grown man.

Ghirahim landed a blow. His claymore struck Vaati’s back and knocked him onto his hands. Zelda jumped to his feet. “No! C’mon, Vaati! Kick his ass!”

All of his friends on the ground jumped in surprise and looked up at Zelda on the wall above them. After they saw him, their expressions went through varying levels of surprise. Nabooru seemed shocked, Ghirahim and Vaati looked pleased, and Link was thrilled. Ganondorf jumped up, stepped back, and exclaimed, “Kit! Your hair looks so different!”

Zelda’s hand went to the back of his head. His fingers brushed the ends of his sheared hair. “Oh, yeah!” He had forgotten that was what he had come out to tell them. After Ganondorf helped him chop off most of its length, Zelda had gone inside to find Impa and asked her to even it out. She sheared off the back to an inch and kept his bangs long, which he kept at almost chin-length and parted to the side in the Hero’s style.

Grinning, Zelda asked, “You like it?”

“I love it!” Ganondorf answered, grinning back. He beckoned him over. “Get down and join us.”

Zelda stepped onto the edge of the battlements. “Think you can catch me?”

“Uh, maybe, but—”

“Okay!” Zelda jumped off.

“Shit!” Ganondorf held out his arms as Zelda landed on his chest. Thankfully the wall was only ten feet tall, so the Gerudo managed to stay upright and hold onto him. Zelda’s feet dangled in front of his knees. Ganondorf tipped back his head to look down his nose at the royal heir clinging to his shoulders. “Are you insane?”

Zelda laughed into Ganondorf’s chest. “Just happy!” The Gerudo was wearing a buttoned shirt, and the linen smelled like saffron and safflina.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes and gave him an exasperated smile. “I could have dropped you!”

“But you didn’t.”

“I still can.”

Zelda laughed again. Even if Ganondorf let go of him, Zelda still had his arms wrapped around his neck.

Ghirahim stabbed his claymore into the grass and rested his knuckles on his hip. “Ahem,” he called. When Ganondorf turned and Zelda lifted his head to look at him, Ghirahim continued, “You interrupted our match, Princess.” He was feigning annoyance, but his eyes were creased with mirth.

“Sorry,” Zelda said. Ganondorf bent down to set him onto his feet, and Zelda released his hold on his neck. Looking at Vaati, he asked, “Since when do you know swordplay?”

Vaati smirked. “Since always.”

Nabooru smiled and explained, “He made himself an expert the same way he made himself a master sorcerer with his teacher’s magic cap.”

Ganondorf gestured to Ghirahim and added, “He found out because we mentioned Vaati had won the Picori Festival’s sword-fighting tournament back in his time, so Ghirahim had to challenge him to see who’s the better swordsman.”

Vaati held up his hands, acting humble. “If he was at his full strength, it would be no contest. I’m nearly worn out myself now.”

“Don’t say that,” Ghirahim protested. “We were just getting started.”

“And?” Vaati answered. “This is the reason I don’t exercise my bladework. It exhausts me as much as spellcasting.”

“But I haven’t defeated you yet!”

Vaati merely smiled. “We can say you did.” He handed over the soldier’s broadsword to Zelda and told him, “You can entertain him now.” Vaati then returned to his Minish form and scurried over to Nabooru. She put her hand on the ground to pick him up and put him onto her knee.

Ghirahim scowled. “A win through concession isn’t a real victory!” he said, stomping his foot. “I _will_ have a rematch.”

“Not today, you will,” Vaati answered. Nabooru laughed behind him.

Zelda spun the broadsword in his hand. “Just fight me, Ghirahim.” Though he also would have liked to see how that fight would actually end, he was itching to spar now that he had short hair. It would no longer get tangled or distract him.

With a huff, Ghirahim pulled his claymore from the grass. “Very well then. I won’t stand for you holding back, so you better put your Triforce into this.”

Zelda smirked. “I wouldn’t dream of anything otherwise.”


End file.
